Electric cord holder and connector



July 1l, 1950 E. CORTES ELECTRIC CORD HOLDER AND CONNECTOR Filed June12, 1946 ayt.

m www o@ w@ a o E. wu No M Q l WW1 2 v .MM.\ il! 'Qgn .o E, E n W M CNAEn M M 0- 4 1 4 9 5 9 i\ /laa Patented July ll, 1950 UNITED STATES"PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC CORD HOLDER AND CONNECTOR Edmundo Cortes, NewYork, N. Y.

Application June 12, 1946, Serial No. 676,160

2 Claims. (Cl. 242-107) normally subjected to wear and tear much morethan stationary wires, and that a twisting of or the exertion ofpressure upon such cords tends to damage thel insulation which resultsin short circuits, personal injuries, repair and replacement costs, andlire hazards. It has also been observed frequently that children, due tocuriosity, like to insert nails, pins, wires or other conductive objectsinto the openings of plug-in sockets, which may result in serious harm.

In order to make electrical appliances safer and to reduce the costs ofrepairs and replacement, one object of the present invention is theprovision of a device of the character described which will prevent thetwisting of electric cords and which will automatically wind up thatportion of a wire or cord which is not necessary temporarily for acertain use of an electrical appliance, so that no portions of the cordare in the way of the user but are well protected within a housing thuspreventing a stepping upon such wire portions or a placing of heavy orhot objects upon them.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a device ofthe character described `which vordinarily makes it impossible thatsmall children can reach the conductive parts of a plug-'in socket whenthey insert nails or the like into the holes' of such sockets in themanner previously referred to.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of adevice ofthe character described which is light in weight, handy in use,inexpensive to manufacture but of a pleasing appearance and durable aswell as adapted to withstand the rough usage to which devices of thistype are frequently subjected.

Further objects of the instant invention reside in any novel feature ofconstruction or operation or novel combination of parts present in theembodiment of the invention described and shown in the accompanyingdrawing whether within or without the scope of the appended claims andirrespective of other specific statements as to the scope of theinvention contained herein,

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the entire device as it appearswhen it is being used in connection with an electric iron;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a detail on the line 2-2 of Figure3;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of another part of the device; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 o Figure 4.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

In the drawing the numeral I denotes an electric iron which does notform a part of my present invention but which is shown only as anexample of an electrical device in connection with which my new andimproved cord holder and connector can be used. The contact pins oftheiron I are rectangular and have horizontal sections 2 and vertical endsections 3. The plug-in-socket 4 has a pair of T-shaped bores each ofwhich consists of a horizontal non-conductive section 5 and of avertical section 6, the latter being provided with a conductive sleeve'I which fits tightly around the lower portion of a vertical pin section3. A cover 8 which is hinged at 9 to the socket 4 allows the laying freeof portions of the horizontal sections 5, so that the contact pins canbe inserted. The cover 8 is normally closed, and the hinge 9 ispreferably provided with a spring or with any well known suitablelocking device (not shown) which will make it impossible for a younginfant to open the cover 8, although an adult can open it without mucheffort. I also prefer to provide the socket 4 with a screw clamp I 0, sothat it can be attached to a table board or a shelf or the like wheneverthat should be convenient. The conductive wires II of an vinsulatedelectric cord I2 are connected to the sleeves 1 by means of soldering orin any suitable manner.

While the construction of the socket 4 just described prevents accidentswhich may be caused by children, the detail shown in Figures 2' and 3constitutes a holder and automatic winding device for the wire. Thisdevice comprises a housing I5 consisting preferably of four circularsections I6, I1, I8 and I9 of insulating material which are of the sameouter diameter and which are connected to one another by means of bolts20 or in any other suitable manner. Within the housing I5 there are fourcompartments 2 I, 22, 23 and 24; and a shaft 25 is rotatably arranged inthe housing I and is extended through the compartment 24 and through thecenter of the compartments 2|, 22 and 23. An oblique bore 21 is providedacross the shaft 25 in such a manner that its openings register with thecompartments 23 and 22 respectively, and the width of the latter is butslightly larger than the outer diameter of the cord I2. In thecompartment 2| there is a spiral spring 28 whose one end is attached tothe shaft 25 at 29`and whose other end is attached to the' section I6 ofthe housing I5 at 30. In the compartment 24 there is a flat spring 3|whose free end portion rests normallyl against the shaft 25, engaging acircularr row of' notches 32, so as to prevent normally a turning of theshaft 25 in an anticlockwise direction. 'A

push pin 33, which has a collar 34ris extendedinto the housing I5through the section I9 and is 4 what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. An electric cord holder and connector comprising a shaft rotatablyarranged Within and extended through four adjoining compartments of ahousing being provided with an oblique radial fbore whose openingsregister with two of said compartments, resilient means for rotatingsaid shaft being arranged in another compartment, means for stopping therotation of said shaft being arranged in the fourth compartment, and awire connected to a plug-in socket being slid through an entranceopening in said housingintoone ofthe two compartments which registerwith the openings of said oblique bore, said wire passing through saidoblique bore and throughthe other one of said two compartments heldnormally in the position shown in Figuref3V `f by means of a spring 35.Upon depressing that portion of the pin 33 which protrudes overy theouter side ofthe housing |.5` the spring 3 I is movedf from the positionshown in full lines in Figure 3 to the position indicated in dash anddotted-lines, sothatthe spring 3I'no longer engages` the notches 32,thus allowing the shaft 25 to? rotate in either direction.

The cord I2 is slid through an entrance channel36f2into rthe compartment23, is passed through the oblique cross bore 21 into the compartment 22jandileavesfthelatterthrough an'V exit channel 31. The spring 28 is setso that it rotates' the shaft 25\until oneportion of the cord I2 iswound up as a spiralwithin the'compartment 22 while anotherportion ofthe cord. I2 iswound up* as a spiralfwithin thecompartment '23,.as maybe seen in. Figures-2 and' 3'. Th'ezcord |25 can then be` unwoundlpartially or entirely'v accordingv to the length. required. simply bypulling it out' of the housingk I 5, thereby the spring 3| andthenotches` 32y acting like av pawl andV ratchet wheel, so that the: cord-I2l willY bev released from. the tension which otherwise: mightvbecaused by the action of the springA 28;. In" order to re-wind the cord I2, the/pin 3il'isvv depressed whereupon the cord will berrewound andwill partially disappear withingthe housing I5;

Since certainv changes may be made in the above article and" diierentembodiments of the invention could-.be made withoutdeparting from thescope'thereof, itis intended that all'matter 'contained' in theA above"description or shownin the.y accompanying. drawing. shall be interpretedas illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be` understood that the following claims are intended tocover. all of the genericrandts-pecici features of the inventionhereingv described, and all statements of the scope` of the invention'which as a matter of language might be said: to1fa11therebetween.

Havingthus ullyvdescribed my said invention,

and leaving said housing through an outlet opening.

2. A device of the character described comprising a housing having apair of circular compartments Whose width is slightly larger than thediameter of anv insulated double pole wire and having a longitudinalthirdicompartment aswell as a wide circular fourthv compartment, a shaftrotatably arranged in said housing and extended through saidlongitudinal compartment and through the-center ofA said circularcompartments and being provided withL an" oblique cross borewhoseopenings register with said rst mentioned circular'compartments, aspir-al spring being arranged withinsaidfourthcompartment and having oneof its ends connected to said shaft while its otherend is connected-'tosaid. housing, a flat spring within said longitudinal compartmentbeing/arranged in sucha' manner that it normally engages a. circularrowof notches on said shaft, a push pinextending from the' outer side ofsaid housing into said longitudinalv compartment and resting laterallyagainstsaid at spring, and a wire'being slid' through an entranceopening in said housing; into one of the two lcompartments Whichregisterwiththe openings of said oblique bore, said Wire passing through saidoblique bore and through thefother one of said` two compartments andleaving said housing through an outlet opening.

EDMUNDO CORTES.

REFERENCES. CITED The followingreferences are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date- 1,888,258- Bettinger Nov. 22,1932 2,169,734Y Hoppenstand Aug. 15, 1939 v 'FOREIGN PATENTS j n NumberCountry DateA 94,155 Switzerland Apr. 17, 1'922 210,129' SwitzerlandNov. 1,1940

